The new variety originated as a chance discovery by the inventor, Steve Jones. The variety was discovered as a naturally occurring whole plant mutation from the unpatented commercial variety Ipomoea batatas SWEET GEORGIA Light Green. The new variety was discovered in August 2018 at a commercial greenhouse in Santa Paula, Calif.
After selecting and isolating the new cultivar, asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘ISGLG02-1’ was first performed by vegetative tip cuttings in a commercial greenhouse in Santa Paula, Calif. in October 2018. ‘ISGLG02-1’ has since produced several generations and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type. Typical asexual reproduction of the new variety is by vegetative cuttings.